Anyhow, in later February, Aaron and I had the opportunity to take a trip to Sonora, California to visit some of his relatives. This was a definitely a God-thing in how everything worked out smoothly. Aaron was scheduled to be all over the the southwest on a work trip inspecting bridges. And then we found out he would literally be 30 minutes from family. He talked it over with his boss and was given the okay to finish the trip in Sonora and then take a few days of vacation. So it was decided that I would fly down and meet him in Sacramento. Initially, I thought my father-in-law was going to be down there at the same time. But that didn't work out. He was there for a few days before Aaron got there and then Aaron was able to ride with him from Sonora to Sacramento. Thankfully they were able to spend some time together, even if it was just a few short hours. Hopefully it will work out that I can see him too on the next trip south.
We had a wonderful time seeing two of Aaron's aunts and their families, in addition to spending time with his Oma and Opa. Neither one of his grandparents were able to travel to our wedding, so it was very special to me to finally be able to meet them for the first time. They are wonderful people, full of stories from the "old country" (the Netherlands- they came to the U.S. in 1954-ish), and immediately accepted me into the family. Both of my own grandpa's are deceased so I really appreciate the chance to get to know one of Aaron's grandpas.
We had the chance to see Aryk's high school basketball game- the last one of the year. He has grown a lot since I last saw him. He definitely has the height that a lot of the family has. He is very easy to talk to and fun to be around. I can see how much he looks up to Aaron, which is special to see (Aaron is the oldest male grandchild).
After the game, we went to pizza and bowling at the new casino. That was a lot of fun and offered a chance for Aaron and I to catch up a bit with the adults. The only other times I've been around his family has been at his college graduation party and our wedding. Both of those times were so crazy and busy, I didn't really feel like I got to know any of them. But that definitely changed this trip :-)
We went wine tasting and site seeing to Murphys, a cute little town with Aunt Nettie and Uncle Rod. It was rather windy and cool that day (although the high 40s/50s are still pretty warm to us right now!) plus there was a holiday weekend wine event, so there were people EVERYWHERE! But it was still a good time.
On Sunday, we got to spend the day with Aunt Christy, Uncle Bert, and Cheyenne and Lynnea at Yosemite National Park. I was the only one who had never been there, so everyone else played my tour guides :-) Jayden had been invited to a birthday party (involving laser tag) so we only got to see him at breakfast. I think Aaron was secretly jealous that he wasn't invited...
We started the morning with uncle Bert making dutch pancakes or Pannekoeken. They are a combination between a pancake and a crepe. Boy are they good! We have the recipe and Bert and Christy were really good about giving us tips, so we'll see how those come out when we try to make them ourselves! During our day in Yosemite, we saw several of the beautiful natural landmarks, had a picnic in a field, and even saw a little brown bear. My favorite part though was getting to hang out with the family and laugh A LOT! I feel very comfortable with them. Cheyenne is in 8th grade and into drama and music. She is quite talkative and smart and willing to discuss anything. Good thing she can handle all the grief Aaron sends her way. Lynnea is in 1st grade and boy has she changed in the last two years! At our wedding, she was incredibly quiet and shy. Now, she talks, she wants to be where we are, and overall a great kid! Plus, she is recently into dance classes. Her personality and silliness show a lot more than I last spent time with her.
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| Half Dome. I think I might want to hike this someday!?!??? |
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| Picnic time! |
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| Definitely qualifies as a "silly" face! |
Monday we went to Big Trees with aunt Nettie where there is a grove of giant sequoias. Boy were they huge! But while they are majestic and beautiful, Aaron and I both agreed there is just something about the Redwoods that we prefer. BUT, we had a good time nonetheless and got to do more sightseeing around the area. It was nice spending more time with Aunt Nettie talking a little bit about everything. Her daughter Nikki was going to go but over the weekend stepped on a nail and couldn't walk. (We got to see the Sonora hospital too! haha) She is lots of fun to be around too, although I felt bad for her being uncomfortable and in pain.
Tuesday was our last full day of vacation. We spent most of the day at Oma and Opa's house, talking about all kinds of topics. It was good quality time that we are so blessed to have had. We never know how long it will be until we can see them again. They don't travel, so it's not so easy considering we live in Alaska. That night, we went back to Christy and Bert's house. They fed us dinner and we got to spend a few hours with the kids just hanging out. It was a wonderful trip and a much needed break from winter. The weather was lovely, even if I didn't get the sun I had been hoping for. But most importantly, we had several days of quality time which means the world to me.
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